Eddy t



Patented Sept. 20, I898. E. T. THOMAS.

METHOD OF FORMING INTEGRAL METALLIC COATINGSUPON SURFACES. (Applicationfiled Apr. 8, 1897. (N0 Model.)

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EDDY T. THOMAS, on NEW YORK, N. v ASSIGNOR TO HAROLD BINNEY, TRUSTEE, OFsAME PLACE.

METHOD OF FORMING INTEGRAL METALLIC COATINGS UPON SURFACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 610,954., datedSeptember 20, 1898.

Original application, filed April 27, 1892, Serial No. 430,876. Dividedand this application filed April 3, 1897. Serial No.

630,583. (ITo specimens.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, EDDY T. THOMAS, of thecity and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvementin and Relat ing to Methods of Forming Integral Metallic Coatings UponSurfaces, of which the follow ing is a description, referring to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention is especially applicable to marine use, as for ships, themetal forming one continuous integral coat of electrically deposited andunited material. As applied to ships the ultimate objects of thisinvention are to effect economy, to save painting, to reduce cost andfacilitate repairs, to preservethe ship, to prevent barnacles andvegetation from growing thereon, and to increase the speed of the ship,because a smooth and polished surface is presented to the water. Theinvention contemplatesthe electrical deposition of metal upon anextended surface in' sections overlapped in a definite and regularmanner to form a united and continuous coating.

This application is a division of an application for Letters Patent forelectro'dep osition of copper filed ,by'me April 27, 1892, Serial No.430,876, and is for the process' The nature of the present inventionwillbe clear from a description of the accompanying drawings, wherein- IFigure 1 is a side View of apparatus for carrying out the process as itis applied to ships. Fig.2 is an end view of Fig. 1, showing the hull'infull and the tank and also the dock and float in section onthe plane 2 2of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is'a section of a'ships plates as plated by myinvention.

The apparatus for carrying out the process forms the subject-matter ofmy application, Serial No. 538,520, filed February 15,1895.

A in the figures represents a dry-dock float, which is sunk by allowingit to fill with water. The ship' B is then floated onto it and-the waterforced out, raising the ship with the fioat, as shown in the figures.

B indicates the ships hull, supported on the insulating blocks 0; whichpreferably rest upon the insulated floor C of the dock or float A. I

P is my solution tank or holder, which constitutes a receptacle having abottom, two ends, and one side, the ship B or other cathode forming theother side, as shown in Fig. 2. This'receptacle P, as shown, is securedto the ships side by the cables N, which are passed through the staplesS S and then around the ship and suitably made taut. When the packing atX, Fig. 2, (which will presently be described in detail,) is suitablycompressed by the'cables against the sides of the ship, all liability ofleakingis avoided. This packing X consists of rubber or Oth'ersuitableyielding material extending alongthe edges of the tank, between the tankand the ship. The edges of the tank conform but roughly to the exactoutlines of the ships plates for which they are intended, but theyielding packing, when suitably compressed, conforms to all theirregularities in the ships surface, making the joint quite tight, whichis particularly difficult at points where the edge of the tank crossesthe overlapped joints of the ships plating. At such points the edge ofthe tank .is stepped or cut to roughly fit the'lapi-joint, the yieldingpacking being relied upon for more accurate-fit.

' The pipe K may lead from the bottom of the tank P into thestorage-tank V within the float'A, which is used to store one of thesolutions. Pipe K leads from the bottom of the tank P into the sea,extending either through or around the float A, for the purpose ofdrawing off the wash-water after washing the surface to be treated. IPlugs, stop-cocks, or other suitable controlling devices maybe used toopen and close and to connect and disconnect the pipes K andK asdesired. In the drawings stop-cocks K and K are shown.

' Tanks 1), D ,"D Dfl-Df, and D may be located atthe sides of the floatA, as shown in Fig.2, for storing and heating the liquids used intreating the ship. To facilitate handling of the liquids, these tanksare preferably at such height as to permit' the-liqnids to be readilyrun by gravity into the plating-tank.

The cleaning solution, as an instanca'may be stored in tank D at suchheight as to be readily run into the plating-tank P through suitablepiping connections from E It is then after using discharged by gravitythrough connection K to the tank V, whence it may be pumped by pipe Kand connection K back to tank D Similarly the water for washing and thecyanid and sulfate solutions for plating may be stored in the otherraised tanks D D and D The wash-water may run freely off through pipe Kinto the sea. The plating solutions may be run off from platingtank Pinto the respective tanks D and D connections for hose or other pipesbeing provided at K. From these tanks D and D the solutions may bepumped back to the tanks D? and D by pumps F F and pipes F F.

Steam heating-pipes may be provided for the solution-tanks to raise thesolutions to the best working temperature and to prevent freezing.

At A are shown the two anode-plates, of copper, suspended from the rod Gby the conductors A Current is supplied to the anode by means of theconnections G2 and currentconducting wires G. \Vhere several anodes areused, they are placed at intervals to produce the best results informing an even coat of metal. The plating-current may be conducted fromthe hull of the ship, so as to make the hull the cathode, by means ofthe connectors J and the conductors J. The wires G and J may beconnected to a platingdynamo or the other suitable source of electricityused.

The use and operation of my open-sided tank in platinga ship in sectionsare as follows: The iron surface of the ship, if the ship is of iron, iscleaned either mechanically or by the use of suitable cleaningsolutions, such as lye or any other well-known cleaner. The cleaningsolution may be applied by means of the tank P before it is used forplating. After the. surface of the ship or other cathode has been socleaned and the tank and cathode washed, if cleansing solutions havebeen used, then the plating solution is runinto the tank, the anodeadjusted, the conductors suitably connected, and the current turned on.I prefer to use first a cyanid solution, as it forms more intimate unionwith the iron or steel and does not scale or peel off. After a thincoating of copper has been so deposited I run 01f the cyanid solutionand continue the plating by means of the more rapidly depositingsulfate-of-copper solution. I may even plate the whole ship in sectionsby means of the cyanid solution and then use the sulfate solution,taking care to clean the copper surface of any oxid. In any case,however, after one section of the cathode has been satisfactorily platedwith the section of copper corresponding in size to the open side of thetank the tank is moved along in order to plate the next section. Forthis second section the tank will'be so placed that the packing rests inpart upon the previously-deposited copper section, so that the platingsolution will cover and deposit upon the edge of the previouslydepositedcopper section. In this manner by carefully placing the tank the severalsections may be thoroughly knit or united at the edges with but slightoverlapping.

I11 order to expedite the plating of a ship and decrease the periodduring which it is necessary for the ship to be in dry-dock, I may use anumber of plating tanks P simultaneously, finally joining the severaladjacent sections together by depositing other metallic sections betweenand upon the edges of the previously-deposited sections, so as to forman unbroken integral coating over the whole hull or to the water-line.After plating I preferably grind, hammer, or otherwise smooth thesurface of the deposited plating throughout and grind or hammer down theoverlapped and united edges of deposited sections, so as to remove allelevations and roughness.

In order to enable me to perform my plating operations out of doors andin all sorts of weather, I suitably warm the plating solution in anydesired manner, as by steam-pipes L. The solutions may be heated beforeintroduction into the tanks P, as already described, or may be warmedand kept warm while in the plating-tanks.

The amount of current which it may be desirable to use will depend on'the size of the section deposited at each operation and the rate atwhich it is to be deposited. These details, as well as the strength ofsolutions and thickness to which it is desirable to plate the vessel,will depend upon the purposes for which the ship is used and uponconsiderations well understood by those skilled in the art ofelectroplating, and therefore I make no further mention of them here.

In plating wooden surfaces the surface should be first treated withplumbago or otherwise adapted to receive electrolytic deposit. In suchcases I usually prefer to use sulfateof-copper solution throughout theprocess, though I do not mean to limit myself to the use of anyparticular solution.

When a coppered ship has been injured and the copper plating destroyedin places, these places may be readily patched by the application of myplating-tanks after the surface has been suitably cleaned. It is alsoclear that my tanks may be used on interior as well as exterior surfacesand for plating any joining uncoated portion of the surface, anothersection of predetermined size and shape, forming a plurality of sectionsoverlapped in a definite and regular manner, substantially as set forth.

2. The method of forming an integral 1netallic coating upon a verticalor inclined surface, which consists in confining a body of liquidelectrolyte laterally against a limited portion of such surface ofpredetermined size and shape, passing a current from an anode not incontact with the said surface through the electrolyte to the saidsurface, thereby depositing a section of plate, and thereafter confiningliquid electrolyte against a limited

